Does anyone know the secret to Japanese fried rice?
 

Just like I love Japanese cars... I love Japanese food. I've tried making hibachi fried rice a few times, and researched into it a lot, but I can't get it right. Any hibachi cooks on this forum want to tell me the secret ingredients?

Also, I've tried using Gomasio and it just ended up tasting like seaweed.

it being cooked where everything else is cooked does help i think, but i've not had hibachi in a really long time, and now i crave it when i can't afford it. :(

That makes sense. I love hibachi fried rice.. and the only hibachi place around me closed down! So I've gotta make my own. Such a rough life we lead.

This won't be 100% the same, but here's what I do (and it tastes pretty damn close). Also, because of the way I cook, I won't be able to give much on amounts. I mostly wing it each time.

• Cooked Rice, about a cup or two- use sticky rice. Day-old race has a good texture, but fresh rice can be used.
• Eggs
• Butter
• Sesame Seed Oil
• Onions
• Carrots
• Green Onions
• Protein (Cooked, unless it cooks very quickly)
• Soy Sauce
• Pan (metal, not non-stick)
• Metal spatula (you can use something that won't damage the pan, but it's best if you can do some cutting moves with the spatula)

1. High heat. This is a fast process, and mostly to get the raw veggies and egg cooked. The rice and proteins should already be cooked.
2. Sauté veggies lightly in the butter - just want to lightly soften them and to make them not raw.
3. Add rice, then two eggs or so. If you are cooking your protein, now is the time. With the spatula, move everything around - you want the egg to distribute somewhat in the rice, but also form some delicious nuggets of egg. If a solid bit of egg forms, chop it up a bit.
4. When the eggs are mostly set, throw in the protein to heat it up. season with a bit of sesame seed oil and soy sauce until your liking (and a golden color), add in some salt and pepper to taste.

I make no promises, but it will definitely not taste like seaweed.

Thanks @userjack6880, I'll try it out!

how good is your pressure cooker?

good rice starts from there. Crappy, 20-dollar black and deckers ruin everything.

now a 200-dollar zojirushi... maybe one christmass..

Who knows but its an amazing thing haha

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I love my Zojirushi. As long as the rice/water ratio is right, the rice is always perfect!

In traditional chinese fried rice, we always use rice thats been cooked a day before hand. It's less moist and that helps with better absorption of seasoning and other ingredients. If you use fresh prepared rice, than it just gets mushy =P. Not sure about hibachi fried rice though.

how is it stored?

Saran wrap LOL. Not to sound like an ass but seriously lol. Most restaurants do this in the states, in asia, in homes. Basically stale rice isn't as moist so it's more forgiving when you re "pan fry" it. Fresh rice is moist, and tender but not to a point where it melts in your mouth. But it shouldn't be made to a crunch like Italian pasta. When you use perfectly cooked rice is really sensitive to texture change. I mean is it possible to cook fresh rice and make fried rice afterwards? Possibly but the easiest way and usually the best way is to use stale/overnight rice. Again this is from Chinese cooking, don't quote me on this when you're talking about Japanese rice or something like risotto.

Any kind of rice will turn to mush while frying if it's too moist. Either you use less water when cooking it (this can make you end up with hard bits in the rice if you get the water wrong), or you let it dry out. To dry it out without having it go bad, either be in a dry climate like California (unless it's a warm summer day it will be good for over a day), or just let it sit but do NOT open the lid of the rice cooker. The little valve at the top doesn't let bacteria in fast enough to make the rice go bad. Or, if your rice cooker's "keep warm" function is crappy and runs at too high of a temperature, put it on keep warm and stir every few hours. In my experience the keep warm can completely dry up the bottom layer within 6 hours on the crappier models.

That's why I mentioned day-old rice. You *can* make it with fresh rice, but "stale" rice is better.